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2nd November 2000 Archive

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  • Register story inspires FBI raid on student

    Subversive literature, yikes

    FBI agents raided the dormitory room of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute computer science student Andres Salomon in Troy, New York on Saturday, after a Register story piqued his interest in the recent New York Yankees' Web site defacement. The agents searched his room and removed three computers, two books, and a collection of …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 06:23

  • In Brief Five Motorolans killed in Singapore Airlines crash

    Five Motorola design engineers were among the 78 people killed in Tuesday's Singapore Airlines crash at Taipei Airport. They were four Singaporeans and one American. The company said it would provide counselling to their families. ®

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 07:38

  • Telewest buys Eurobell

    It's a cableco-eat-cableco world out there

    Telewest Communications is to fork out £250 million for Eurobell in a move that will increase its cable network reach in the UK Eurobell - owned by Deutsche Telekom - supplies telephone, Internet, data and cable TV services to residential and business punters in the south of England. It holds franchises in Crawley, west Kent …

    Data Networking 2 Nov 2000, 10:24

  • Sports4cast is AIMless

    Nagging story that makes you think

    Sport4cast has delayed its admission onto the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) due to the current "market conditions". The British sports forecasting and betting outfit was due to be listed tomorrow. It has not said when it will seek admission again. In the meantime it is looking for interim fundraising by private placement …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 10:25

  • 24-7 Freecall does a Freeswerve

    Unmetered accounts terminated at the drop of a hat

    Flat-fee ISP, 24-7 Freecall, has sent termination notices to a number of subscribers it claims have breached the company's terms and conditions. Those who've received them have just 24 hours to get their affairs in order before they have the plug pulled. In a short and to-the-point email sent to some users last night, the …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 10:25

  • Chip plants shut in Taiwan Power blow up

    TSMC down for 12 hours

    Taiwan's top chip maker TSMC shut down its factory in the Hsinchu Science Park for 12 hours following a power outage caused by an explosion. The halt to production is likely to cost millions. Other semiconductor companies also shut their fabs after the 2.40am blow up at a distribution station run by the state owned Taiwan Power …

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 11:08

  • BMG, Napster deal damned by Universal

    Music biz's united front split?

    Bertelsmann Music Group's attempt to resolve the Napster controversy to the music majors' advantage without killing the technology appears to have backfired. The MP3 sharing service said on Tuesday it had agreed with BMG to implement a subscription-based service in return for BMG's withdrawal from the legal action brought …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 12:20

  • Q: Who will pay for 3G networks?

    A: Chinese gamblers

    Last night we were enthralled to finally hear how 3G mobile phone companies intend to recoup their, quite frankly, ludicrous investment in an unknown technology. Well, that's not strictly true. For two hours a panel of guests representing BT Cellnet, Motorola, the GSM Association and other assorted companies skirted the question …

    Data Networking 2 Nov 2000, 12:44

  • Sharp sees 30% price drop for 13in flat panel displays

    Looks to big money smaller screens

    Sharp, Japan's largest manufacturer of LCDs, is saying prices of flat panels bigger than 13in will drop 30 per cent in price by March 2001. The projection has pushed Sharp into boosting small flat-panel screen production because it believes profitability in smaller screens will be better than that of the larger displays. It …

    Business 2 Nov 2000, 12:44

  • AltaVista scam man gets new job

    You ain't gonna believe this but...

    The man responsible for the biggest Internet scandal of the year has got a new job - and it's not one that involves asking "do you want fries with that?". Andy Mitchell, the former boss of AltaVista UK and the man who lied to the nation, misled Prime Minister Tony Blair and lied to his bosses about delivering unmetered Net …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 12:47

  • Elpida licenses Rambus DDR SDRAM

    Another one struck from Rambus' list

    Elpida Memory, the joint venture between NEC and Hitachi, has followed Samsung and signed up to license Rambus' SDRAM and DDR SDRAM patents. Samsung signed yesterday. Like the Samsung agreement, Elpida's licence will involve the payment of royalties to Rambus which are, in Rambus' words, "greater than the RDRAM compatible rates …

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 13:08

  • Desperate Dell begging Transmeta for a Crusoe deal?

    Chipzilla doppelganger reaps the whirlwind...

    Dell's cosy relationship with Intel, and a little carelessness with secret files, is causing the company serious grief with Transmeta, a usually reliable source alleges. "Dell has been calling Transmeta every week for the last two months," he says, but Transmeta won't return the calls. According to our source Dell's problem …

    Business 2 Nov 2000, 13:27

  • Choppers to buzz Tux colonies in bid to make penguins keel

    Investigation of synchronised falling over a shoe-in for Ig Nobels

    The Royal Navy is co-operating with British scientists in an exercise that looks odds-on favourite for a win in next year's Ig Nobel prizegiving ceremony. For five weeks this winter HMS Endurance and its two helicopters will be in South Georgia helping check to see how stressed penguins get when they fall over while watching …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2000, 13:52

  • Foodoo.com goes down the frying pan

    It's titsup.com

    Food and wine site Foodoo.com has ceased trading after failing to get the money it needed in its second-round of financing. The site signed up big cookery names, including Antony Worrall Thompson, Ken Hom and Gordon Ramsay, to promote the site and provide recipes. The company is "seeking approval from members and creditors to …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 14:04

  • IBM chiefs dampen ‘Intel inspired’ Napster P2P hysteria

    Napster model not cure for ailments of world+dog

    IBM's software general and his top brass gathered at the company's Hawthorne Research Lab in New York State this week to give a state of the nation update. The execs batted back questions about the Peer to Peer hype with as much force as they could. Almost but not quite implying that the ruse was got up by Intel. Which was …

    Software 2 Nov 2000, 14:13

  • Internet gets Royal approval

    Prince Andrew loves it but can't troubleshoot for toffee

    Prince Andrew has professed his love for the Internet but like any old-skool Dad turns to his daughters if anything goes wrong. The former Navy man, famous for his on-off relationship with kids-book writing red-headed snorter Fergie, was over in the States visiting UK Web designers when he spoke of his new media passion, the …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 14:39

  • Flying fish fingers

    Linus Birtles the new Branson?

    It appears that Reg supremo Linus 'Fish Fingers' Birtles has been acquiring airlines on the quiet. Through the letterbox dropped a glossy flier from Mind's Eye, a creative marketing communications company. Nothing strange there. Except that the whole thing seems to be a set of safety instructions for BirtlesAir. There's even …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2000, 14:40

  • Athlon DDR systems still not available

    AMD 'may have based press release on incorrect information'

    When a company says 'available now', it's normally taken to mean 'today' rather than in a month's time. So when AMD reiterates its position that 760-based DDR systems are available now from NEC in Europe and that Gigabyte is shipping its GA7-DX 760 mobo now, it's only fair to check our sources again. Yesterday, we were told by …

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 14:53

  • Linux boffin pulls bird

    And we're not talking about a penguin

    There's hope for software developers yet with the shock news on BBspot that Linux programmer Todd Stanton managed to get his end away. Admittedly, the magic moment happened on or around 5 September and we hadn't heard about it until now, but when something this important happens, time-based concerns go out the window. What's …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2000, 14:56

  • Warner digital music service goes live

    Only 100 songs on offer

    Warner has launched its digital music distribution service, offering a feeble 100 songs via third-party e-tailers - rather less than the thousands of tracks insiders had claimed would be made available. The 'big five' music label announced the service back in September. Tracks will be offered in both Liquid Audio and Windows …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 15:45

  • Intel ‘to dump Rambus completely’

    Relax, its a rumour

    A few days back we wrote that Intel looked certain to phase out Rambus support across the spectrum by the middle of next year, except for the high-end workstation segment. Now an ex-Intel employee informs us that his chums, still beavering away at the Great Stan, tell him that Rambus is going to be completely out of the picture …

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 15:57

  • AMD 760 problem identified?

    Gigabyte mobo doesn't work at 133MHz FSB

    Stalwart DDR supporter Tom's Hardware Guide, couldn't make its sample Gigabyte GA-7DX mobo run reliably at 133MHz FSB. Could this point to the reason DDR Athlons aren't quite with us yet? As THG says: "Unfortunately it was a too early version to run reliably at 133 MHz FSB. Thus we tested an Athlon 1000/100 in this board, as …

    Channel 2 Nov 2000, 16:33

  • Morse prospects ‘excellent’

    And other channel flannel

    Morse, the big Unix systems reseller, issued the following statement at its AGM today. "Trading in the current financial year to 30 June 2001 has started well and is in line with the Group's expectations. With continued growth across Europe from our infrastructure divisions and a rapidly-developing professional services …

    Business 2 Nov 2000, 16:39

  • Reg will beat fuel blockade

    Roll out the barrel...

    Vulture Central today revealed plans to ensure a continuous supply of precious liquid during the impending fuel crisis. As we previously reported, severe local shortages around our London offices almost brought the Reg to its knees. We won't get caught out again. How? We've bought the local pub - lock stock and 200 barrels - …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2000, 16:40

  • IBM clinches largest Linux system sale

    Japanese retail chain buys 15,000 seats

    A Japanese convenience store chain is installing 15,000 IBM eServer xSeries boxes running Linux into its outlets - this will give it the largest commercial Linux system in the world. The 7,500 store Lawson chain will have two IBM machines at each of its shops allowing customers to download music, movies and other Web multimedia …

    Software 2 Nov 2000, 16:47

  • McAfee virus update freezes PCs

    Something to do with engines

    Anti-virus company McAfee has sent out a dodgy .dat automatic update file that has been causing some PCs to freeze. Details are a little sketchy at the moment, but we eventually managed to find a Network Associates techy (McAfee parent company) that confirmed a file had been sent out and customers' PCs had been seizing up. …

    Software 2 Nov 2000, 17:27

  • BSA offers £10K bounty to catch software thieves

    People want more money to grass

    The BSA has doubled its reward for reporting businesses using unlicensed software to £10,000. This is because, big surprise, research suggested more people would turn supergrass if they got more money to do it. "Personal grudges and a feeling of responsibility have been the two main motivators for people to call the BSA …

    Business 2 Nov 2000, 17:31

  • The encryption algorithm demolition derby

    Contestant would do it again 'in a second'

    Last month we reported the triumph of two Belgian academics in the US encryption standard contest. But how was the contest organised? If you're not interested, stop reading now. In the early seventies the US government put out a call for an encryption algorithm. It had no response. A year later in 1973 they tried again and got …

    Software 2 Nov 2000, 17:31

  • BT phals down on samosa poser

    Samoans are the vindaloosers

    The opening Rugby World Cup 2000 match must have been a lively affair. Ireland, who were expecting to play Samoa, were confronted not by the sons of the Pacific but rather a small triangular pastry snack. Let's face it, the samosa is great for parties, but not much use in the ruck. Who is to blame for this argy-bhaji? None …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2000, 17:42

  • BMG alliance may hinder Napster cloners

    Comment But the P2P cat is out of the bag...

    The BMG-Napster deal won't only annoy some of the music business' biggest companies, it's also going to irk many of the Napster wannabes out there. They're hoping to cash in on Napster's success by providing the security and/or royalty payments that the music industry has demanded of Napster. By all accounts, digital music is …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 17:45

  • Consumer friendly FTC may demand software works to spec

    Analysis UCITA outflanked? Good grief, this is Communism...

    Consumers may soon get a better deal for packaged software, and be able to buy it instead of licensing it under onerous terms. Despite the strong lobbying efforts of US packaged software publishers, the US Federal Trading Commission (FTC) could well come out on the side of the consumer. The restrictions associated with software …

    Software 2 Nov 2000, 17:46

  • Sony sees red as EC dubs PlayStation 2 a ‘game console’

    Will have to pay more import duty, that's why

    Sony is set to sue to European Commission if the organisation's taxation officials refuse to budge on their classification of the PlayStation 2 as a video game player. Hang on a mo, we hear you say, PlayStation 2 is a video game player. Not according to Sony, it isn't. The Japanese giant insists that, thanks to its ability to …

    Business 2 Nov 2000, 17:57

  • Official: Hands-free kit will fry your brain

    Sorry, that was meant to say won't. Wasn't it?

    Here we go again. The Consumers Association, annoyed at having its findings dismissed last time by the government, has done another series of tests on mobile hands-free kit and found again that it actually increases the radiation to your brain. The idea is that the wire acts as an aerial and induces more radiation from the …

    Data Networking 2 Nov 2000, 18:22

  • Saudi prince doubles AOL stake to $2bn

    'Anchor of the industry' gets more wonga

    Royal dotcom stock splurger Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is at it again - this time he's doubling his stake in AOL to $2 billion. The nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd described the ISP - whose chairman recently gave $8 million to homophobes by mistake - as the "anchor of the industry". "America Online is the number one Internet …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 18:24

  • Directory sites doomed, says survey

    Need to take a leaf out of Yahoo's book

    As New York publisher Primedia agrees to a $5 million deal to buy About.com, a report out this week warns pure online directory sites may be a dying breed Bricks and mortar Primedia hopes to harness About's Web presence, while About aims to gain access to Primedia's battalion of sales staff and exploit traditional advertisers …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 18:26

  • HWRoundup The kit to play Counterstrike at 120fps

    Plus a nuclear bomb style custom case

    PCReview have whipped up a review on the Antec SX830 Case. They like its snap-in fan headers. No screws needed. Read it here. Overclockers are getting excited about one of the coolest custom cases it has seen. They reckon it looks like a nuclear bomb with its big turbine fan in a cylindrical container. Check it out. …

    Hardware Roundup 2 Nov 2000, 18:29

  • Microsoft's choice: Law or Order

    Secrets preserved & Feds hampered by MS response to hack

    When Microsoft flushed its internal network clean of the intruder who broke in earlier this month, the FBI's best chance of catching and convicting the culprit may have gone down the drain, experts say. Microsoft said over the weekend that the hacker had access for only twelve days, and that corporate security agents …

    Media 2 Nov 2000, 19:38